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Pie-Crust Ice Cream Cones — Yes, Really — Now On Spinning J's Secret Menu

By Mina Bloom | June 5, 2017 5:31am
 The Humboldt Park bakery and soda fountain, 1000 N. California Ave., is taking the ice cream cone to a whole new level.
The Humboldt Park bakery and soda fountain, 1000 N. California Ave., is taking the ice cream cone to a whole new level.
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Instagram/Spinning J

HUMBOLDT PARK — Calling all dessert enthusiasts: Spinning J is taking the ice cream cone to a whole new level.

Last month, the retro bakery and soda fountain, 1000 N. California Ave., started selling handmade ice cream cones made with its signature pie crust dough to serve as a vessel for Black Dog gelato.

The buttery, crunchy cones have been flying out the door, which is telling considering they're currently a secret menu item.

It has "a really delicious butter crust. It's crispy, a little bit sweet on the outside and crunchy. It's a million times better than a regular old sugar cone or a stale cake cone," said Dinah Grossman, who runs the shop with her husband, Parker Whiteway.

Making a small batch of 40 or 50 pie crust cones is no small task for the Spinning J team, which makes everything by hand. First the bakers have to make the pie crust dough, which has to sit for a day. The next day, they roll out the dough, shape it into cones, bake them and sprinkle sugar on top — a process that usually takes about an hour.

The step-by-step recipe is a secret — Grossman has been perfecting it for a few years — but just know that it includes lots of high-quality European butter.

"With a little bit of sugar sprinkled on the outside and carmelized crust on the outside, it's a combination of all the good things," she said.

Oh, and it could be the only cone of its kind. Grossman said she's done research and she has yet to find a pie-crust ice cream cone being sold in the city or elsewhere.

For all of these reasons and more, patrons are encouraged to visit Spinning J early in the day to get one. The bakers can only make so many handmade desserts a day before they sell out.

"I'm sure we will disappoint some folks, but we're also getting faster and more efficient," Grossman said.

The cones cost $2 in addition to gelato. They're not currently listed on the menu. The cones are typically served with one scoop ($3) or two scoops ($4.75) of Black Dog gelato.